Occupational Hazards
by Breviary-Rose
Summary: Loki Laufeyson, a man famous in the porn industry, sees Jane Foster, a woman who's fingerprints haven't quite faded from his life, again. Mischief is what she knows him for. And mischief she shall have. Secrets threaten to keep her heart from her sleeves, and Loki can't seem to tell her about his day job. (AU, L/J & BB/NR)
1. Happy Birthday, Foster

The club was loud. The club was packed.

The crowd was young. Too young to dream of taking anyone home for the night...

A man stood accosted by such young women. Style clashed with a slight tipsy stupor. His shoes shined with a lackluster radiance due to a certain blond who refused to leave his side who spilled her drink on them earlier.

Though his personal favorite sort of woman was everything she embodied physically, Loki Laufeyson couldn't understand why he wasn't all over her.

Since obtaining his master's degree, his endless want for sex had been quenched significantly. An occupational hazard when one enters the porn industry.

Loki celebrated his twenty-seventh birthday. There was no want for company; however, the man felt annexed from the circle of acquaintances he arrived with.

He came here every year with the hopes it would be the last time for the five-year tradition. This club was stale, dull, lackluster...like his shoes.

He sighed.

Why was everything so monotonous?

Hardly anyone recognized him from his deep portfolio of films he'd ben in. For that he was grateful.

Women responded in one of two ways when they discovered his _actual_ career choice:

First, was she never spoke to him again (most likely _after_ she slaps him). They always slap him because he sleeps with them without disclosing such information prior to their...engagement.

Second, they thought him a celebrity, so they try their best efforts to create their fifteen minutes of fame. Most of the time, this is generally women that crave attention his job truly doesn't receive.

He was a piece of the film industry, but he was not a _part_ of it. At. All.

Loki wasn't a heartless womanizer, mind. He appreciated every woman that gave him affection. Affection was nice. Necessary, even. A woman's touch could be bested only by a minimal amount of other trivial pursuits among the world.

"You're a robot, Jane Foster," a woman whined behind him.

The name alone warranted an over-the-shoulder side glance. His attention was swollen with curiosity displayed by the high arch of his left brow.

His lips pursed instinctively when he heard _that_ name. A warm sensation tickled at his stomach when the magnificent orange-toned lights highlighted her chestnut hair, which appeared more like a darker auburn hair in this setting.

The man turned around and smiled arrogantly, though his nerves refused to settle down. Lifting his glass, he bowed his head once and drank from his glass of scotch, "It's a funny sight seeing you here."

The glorious strands of copper danced in her eyes as her expression changed from pleasant laughter to shock. He even traced a small frown over her lips. Immediately, she righted her expression and nodded. "Hello, Loki Laufeyson."

Their eyes battled for more will or determination to be the one to blink last. It was a competition that extended back to the days during his undergraduate studies.

A spark ignited erratically when she rolled her eyes as per usual. A small victory for the man of mischief. His right eye twitched into a playful wink, and his lips smoothed over his mouth into a knowing grin.

Quickly, he reached for his phone in an inside pocket of his suit jacket. When the device flashed the date, he stilled.

He cleared his throat and slipped the phone back into its safe haven.

Jane sent a glance over her shoulder, clearly looking for someone. In her effort, she placed her lanky tanned arm on the bar. He followed and turned as if he would chat with the bartender. His hand covered hers, snatching her attention back to him.

As if his touch licked her skin like rampant embers, she withdrew her hand from his large hand to his displeasure.

After a moment, he drew closer and whispered, "Happy birthday, Foster."

She seemed dazed by his proximity, so before he pulled away, he swiped her phone the jacket pocket he slipped his hand into. Satisfied, he offered her a coy smile and left her.

In the mean time, he texted himself so that he would have her number.

Now to return her phone.

No, he'd wait for one of her friends called. Then, he'd have an excuse to see her again.


	2. If Always Was an Answer

The day was as clear as the diamond situated at her throat.

Though a slight chill unusual to the summer season trickled through the particles of the air, which tugged the corners of Jane's mouth.

Her lungs expanded dramatically within their cage. She exhaled and marveled at the feel of the stretchy texture of the breeze.

Footsteps interrupted her brain from inwardly commenting about the shift of the atmosphere around her. When she turned around, she saw why the change had occurred.

"Loki Laufeyson."

It wasn't a greeting.

It wasn't a pleasantry.

It was simply a manner of habit when he was around her...even after the years that separated their last encounter excluding the one at the club.

An annoying smile adorned his perfect, thin lips. That smile had once killed any hopes of her long-standing goal to never swoon when a guy is involved. Swooning was so cliche, and it was something girls only did when they were first in heat with their first summer crush.

The action totally did not compliment someone as distinguished and methodical as Jane Foster.

She cleared her throat.

It was best to move onto new topics of thought.

He stepped toward her. "It has been too long, Jane."

"I'd prefer you call me _Dr._ Foster, please."

"Ever so polite. And even more icy, I see," he countered. When she was convinced he would not speak more on the matter, he added, "_Jane_."

The provoked a loud, frustrated sigh. "My phone, Loki."

"I require lunch first."

Jane laughed, "And am I your master? I suppose that would make you, what? A dog?"

He swallowed with a smile. His eyes tweaked its casualness with a new, burning hint of desire, "Best to save that sort of talk to the sheets, Jane."

That's when she roughly grabbed him by his arm and pulled him away from the sidewalk and into the cover of an alleyway. Her neck craned back and forth at the people passing them, but no one seemed to mind them.

When her focus returned to him, she slapped his arm. Hard. "I did not come all this way to hear you belittle me, Laufeyson. I'm a very busy woman, and I rarely get days off."

"Yes, I'd heard you became a doctor," he said. A spark in his eyes managed to dim somewhat. He casually mentioned, "It's good to see you so well. Especially after how our...friendship ended."

"That was such a long time ago. I hardly remember what even happened," she answered. Her eyes never left his. If they had, he'd pick up on how much the topic unnerved her. And she couldn't have that. Besides, this was the same man who had taught her how to hide herself from people: emotions, thoughts, and otherwise.

"You never wished me a happy birthday, Jane."

Her head shook, "Excuse me?"

"The other night. You never wished me a happy birthday."

She sighed, "Happy birthday." Jane appeared a little distracted, but she was able to add, "Happy?"

"Always."

"Perfect," Jane fought, "Now give me my phone."

"I don't have it on me."

The muscles in her body threatened to incinerate. What patience Jane had mustered to even _meet_ him had fled through the tiny groan that escaped her mouth. "Are you serious?"

"Always."


	3. Our Time Together

Loki inwardly winced while he roughly took the woman beneath him. He was careful to ensure his features were as dramatic as the business demanded. Although many watchers preferred not to have the male featured, since males _were_ the ideal demographic for the porn industry, in the few years of...ahem...acting, Loki Laufeyson had accumulated his own cult following of females from around the globe.

In fact, they often wrote the studio he worked for insisting that he be featured for their own pleasures.

So he was the center of the projects he starred in.

_Loki glanced down at his schedule. It was his first semester at college. And he was determined to lay low. High school had been filled with enough drama to last an entire stage play for the rest of his life._

_He wanted peace._

_But more importantly, he yearned for quiet._

Finally_, he thought selfishly. No Thor in sight._

_BAM! The collision caused him to drop all of his books spilling over his arms. He spat out a curse. Immediately, he began reclaiming his heavy textbooks._

_Until he saw a pair of two small, tanned hands in his peripheral._

_When he glanced up, his hands stilled as if stunned. _

_Her eyes were electricity held together by the most vibrant shade of chocolate he'd ever beheld. His breath caught. For a moment, he whet this unexpected hunger. Her eyes were large, but spaced an average distance apart. Her lashes, although short, were thick and dark._

_When his eyes feasted on her lips, he realized they were moving._

_She was speaking. And here he was being an ass._

_Though he was always an ass._

He guided the two of them in a sitting position. And then, as scripted, she forced him to lie down, clinging to his wrists in a fiendish sort of way.

Another two women were added to the scene. Two women rode him passionately, one over his cock and the other over his mouth. The other woman began kissing one of the women riding him primitively.

_Her name was Jane Foster. She was working on her master's degree. Her first year of doing so. _

_She had spent her time as an undergraduate student here, too. _

_He totally forgot he had class when he first met her. Instead of attending _Introduction to English Theories_, he traversed the campus with her. _

_She showed him all the best places to study. All the best places to hang out should he meet new friends. And all the worst places to be at come finals week. As fate would have it, that Tuesday, he found out that she was the Student Instructor to his entry-level biology class._

_He reveled in that._

_He went to all of his classes after that first accidental hooky. Her classes were around the same times as his, and they all seemed to be located near the same place, too. She told him that that would be a rarity because after this semester, she would be living in the science building. _

_She kept reminding him that she needed six hours of assisting the undergraduate professors with their larger classes. On her good days, she actually really loved it. Apparently, she found herself learning so much from her assigned professor, Dr. Erik Selvig, although she had always been close to the older man._

_Loki actually really enjoyed the man's class. The freshman was surprised by how much control he gave to __Jane. She would run the tutorials and study sessions twice a week. She got paid for each session. And Loki always made sure he was free during those times._

_Before he realized, it was already two weeks before Thanksgiving. When he told her he would probably stay at school, she invited him to spend the holiday with him and Dr. Selvig. _

_He asked her why she wouldn't go home with her family. It was that moment that she told him a devastating piece of her past. Jane was an orphan. Her parents died in a car crash. Her father, although a brilliant mind in the astronomy field, was an alcoholic. He hit someone who died. Her mom was in the front seat. Jane was in the back. _

_It occurred on her sixteenth birthday._

_Now she didn't celebrate her birthdays. But Loki wanted to do something for her when the time came. He knew her birthday already because it was his birthday. February 1st. He wanted to make that day special again. And he would._

_Loki needed only to figure out how without insulting her or making her sad._

_He only wanted her to be happy._

"That's a wrap!" the director shouted.

It was time he cleaned himself up.

No matter how many times he did this, he still hated how he felt. Until he showered.

In a blur, he drove himself home after tidying himself up a bit.

_She was turning 21. As It turned out, she was transferring to a nearby medical school. She told him she realized what she wanted to do with the rest of her life: be a cardiologist. _

_Jane was a prodigy, at least he thought so. She started high school at the age of 12. Her aunt had homeschooled her for her first two years until she was fourteen. She was too young to attend high school according to her guardian._

_Her aunt was very supportive of her academics. The women enrolled her into the best private academy she could afford for the last two years of her high school education. She graduated at the age of sixteen. _

_And, with special permission, Jane was allowed to enroll in the dual-credit program that worked through her school. She was able to attend college-level courses in the high school she'd graduated from._

_As she finished accumulating a total of nearly twenty hours, her aunt fell sick. When she had her second heart attack in a matter of six months, Jane took time off of school in order to take care of her apparently._

_She didn't attend school for two years. And when she finally enrolled here, she was determined to graduate in under three years. _

_But on January 1st, her aunt died from a heart attack. _

_Jane said she was fine, but he knew better than to believe her. She early opened up to him like that, though. Still, she was his best friend. He hoped he was hers. She acted like he was._

_But was he?_

Loki stared out the window, observing the bright city lights. His condo was on the twenty-ninth floor. He loved the view.

He thought about her.

Again.

_February 1st. He kissed her, and she'd smiled. He'd asked her out. And she'd said yes!_

_She said she was going to finish her master's degree during the summer. She only needed nine more hours until her degree was complete. That following fall semester, she'd begin her first term at her new school._

_She was determined to save lives._

_Jane often reassured him that she would make time for their relationship. Although she was only three years older than he was, he often felt like he wouldn't begin to compare to her._

_He couldn't. There was no comparison. She was perfect to him. She was everything._

He sipped his vodka and sighed.

Eventually, he moved toward the long sofa.

_Their summer together was perfect. Although shorter than he would have liked, they stayed at the campus and took the maximum amount of hours they could. They were dull, mostly filler classes._

_They often came close to making love. She never talked about her life before college, so he didn't know if she had ever had sex before. There had been a few girls in high school he'd come close to having sex with, but he was either too high or too drunk to function. So she would be his first, officially._

_He hoped he would be hers._

_He saw a future with her, but he didn't know if he could spit out that he loved her, finally. She told him as much at the beginning of those heated months. But he had yet to reply in so many words._

_He loved her. He _loved _her. _

_So why couldn't he say so?_

_She started her classes, and she often texted him when she could. Although the school was ten miles away, she always took taxis to see him. Neither had a car. Thor got a car when he started college, but that's a different story to dwell on..._

_Jane spent her weekends with him, spending the night in his bed._

_That's when the fighting began._

_He was ready to go to the next step of a relationship._

_She told her she wasn't._

_He was, as per usual, the ass who replied, "IF you really love me, then you'll fuck me."_

_Jane slapped Loki._

_He deserved that._

_Three weeks passed. She didn't return his calls, texts, or emails. They hadn't broken up, but it felt like they had. He knew she needed space. That she would approach him when he was ready._

_Two days passed, and she stopped by the campus. She acted as if nothing had occurred. And that bothered Loki to high heaven._

_Things went back to the way they always were. Until February 1st arrived. Their anniversary. She was busy, though. Jane had given him weeks of notice to prepare for not being with her, but it still hurt._

_She was working on some project with some guy named Bruce Banner. And he immediately hated him._

_Summer came._

_Summer went._

_She was always so involved with her school work, but she would always text him, stay up late with him on the phone. Jane always made their relationship work in some way. Eventually, they literally planned their dates around their school work._

_He hated it. If he wanted to go out that weekend, she would be busy. And if she wanted to hang out the next weekend, he would have a test to study for. _

_To add to the complications, he joined the debate team and club. He was pretty good at it. He enjoyed it. He learned a lot from the team captain, Sigyn Briar._

_And eventually, he forgot all about Jane Foster._

_It started by returning her calls a day later. That one day turned into two, until it turned into two weeks over the span of a few months. _

_Jane spent Thanksgiving alone. Dr. Selvig had previous engagements that year._

_She was alone. No one was beside her to make her happy._

_But Loki finally fucked someone. When he rolled over sometimes around midnight on that stupid holiday, he didn't see his girlfriend. He saw Sigyn, the beautiful, silver-tongued princess._

_They fucked everywhere: the library, classrooms, his dorm room, outside the main building, and inside a bathroom stall. He felt godly with her around._

_Sigyn knew she made him feel that way, too._

_One night, she told him to call her "Jane" while they screwed on some professor's desk. And he did._

_He pretended that she was Jane._

_For another two months._

_Here and there, he idly talked with Jane just to keep appearances. He enjoyed talking to her._

_When he saw her, and they kissed, he started seeing Sigyn._

_One time, he nearly forced himself on Jane by accident. He needed to have her...but _her_ was Sigyn._

_She'd created a monster within him._

_Sex was all about power, and he always had the power now._

_When Jane finally calmed down, he tried to smooth over the drama by asking her about her birthday._

_She said she would visit him on campus._

_Which obviously he forgot when he left her flat._

_Because on February 1st, she opened his dorm room door and watched him fuck Sigyn._

_When she ran away, he let her go._

_He didn't want to leave when he was so nearly coming alive._

_Two hours after he was finished with Sigyn, Jane texted him that she didn't want to be with him anymore._

_And, as per usual, like an ass, he didn't reply._

Loki glanced down at his empty glass. The ice cubes smacked against each other.

And in an instant, he poured himself another glass.

_Two weeks later, Jane came back to his campus. She knew his schedule. So when he came out of the classroom with an arm possessively around Sigyn, he was instantly surprised to see Jane again so soon._

_She was emotionless._

_She didn't speak._

_She handed him the small box to him._

_And she left his life for good._

Loki reached for the piece of paper on his coffee table.

_**Loki, I have no words to say to you that are kind, so I chose to write what I want to say down. **_

_**Please know that the past two and a half years have been wonderful for me. I'm sorry to see that you don't feel the same, but that's your choice.**_

_**I wanted to say that I am sorry that I transferred over here. I sort of feel that that is the root of where we began to drift apart. You should know that last Thanksgiving, I wasn't alone.**_

_**Bruce Banner, my lab partner, spent the break with me. He even invited me to his cottage up north, but we just stayed in town. Because that wouldn't be appropriate.**_

_**He tried to kiss me, but, of course, I pushed him away. I never told you because you never gave me the time of day. I wanted to share that so I can move on from you.**_

_**And I will.**_

_**Move on...I always do.**_

_**When my aunt died, you were everything I needed. I thought we would be married after we both finished our career paths because I truly loved you.**_

_**Had things gone differently, I would have given myself to you on our birthday. But, you needed someone else.**_

_**I just regret that you never told me about her.**_

_**A friend of mine showed me a photo of her online.**_

_**She's very pretty. I can see why you like her. I'm sorry that I wasn't what you needed or wanted anymore, but it's time we said our goodbyes. If you actually read this (and not rip this up), I'll accept this as yours.**_

_**I do not want to hear from you.**_

_**It's so hard to hate you because...I love you.**_

_**But that's just the state I'm in now.**_

**_And also, I should tell you that Bruce Banner asked me out. I said no to him (again)...but I think eventually, I'll say yes._**

**_Finally, my friend also said that you've been with Sigyn since around Thanksgiving. The way you treated me has me very concerned for your well-being._**

**_I fear you're a sex addict, but that's just one person's opinion._**

**_If you find that you agree, I hope that you're strong enough to seek the right treatment._**

**_Goodbye._**


	4. The Other Woman is My Best Friend

Jane glanced down at the mobile phone by her limp hand on the couch. As she sipped her favorite cheap wine, she stared at her ceiling.

Nearly seven years passed without fail. Once she wrote that letter, her heart was able to let go of the most unbearable pain almost instantly. She surprised herself.

But emotions were too real for her to endure for very long.

Nearly everyone she knew knew her to be a cynic. Critical of the world, yet menacingly optimistic.

Even in the hardships in her line of work, Jane controlled herself very well.

"Jane, tell me again about this mystery guy you always reference!" a very drunk redhead boisterously demanded.

Jane smiled. "He was tragically pulled away from college in order to fulfill his duties as the next king of Denmark," she started and joined Natasha in a fit of laughter. Jane slapped her hand through the air a few times in order to calm her friend down. "We had a whirlwind harlequin romance, really. I'm sure he'll name his first born daughter after me."

"You change the story every time," Romanoff whined.

Jane restlessly raised her brows, sighing, "That's because the truth is quite sad. Why not romanticize it a bit?"

Natasha chuckled again, punching Jane's arm, "Seriously, I need to know!"

Although Jane's smile endured, her laughter died, "It's repetitive, really. Think back to how you and Bruce got together."

Natasha pushed her drink toward Jane as she pointed a finger at her, "Not fair! It all worked out in the end, anyway."

"You're engaged with my ex-boyfriend!" Jane shouted playfully.

The two women laughed giddily as the alcohol set over their moods. Eventually Jane shoved Natasha, gluing her eyes to the whine glass, "We were together for exactly two years. Our birthday fell on the same day. I thought it would last. I thought I'd be married by now."

"I feel like that's my fault. Technically, I _am_ the other woman where Bruce is concerned."

"He did cheat on me, yeah," Jane admitted.

"Wait," Natasha said as she shook her head, "Who are we talking about?"

"Well, both I suppose. I do have to separate Bruce. He doesn't count, but he does. You know?"

Natasha set her drink on the table beside her. Instantly, Natasha reached for Jane's hands. "Are you know?"

"Of course I am, I just don't like talking about Bill."

Natasha smiled knowingly, "Last time his name was David."

Jane mimicked her smile, "Now that you mention it, I'm positive his name is Xavier."

"So, his name starts with an L?"

That caught the cardiologist off guard. Her body stilled as her head turned slightly, "Why do you say that?"

Natasha just rolled her rolled her eyes, "We've been friends for three years. You've been saying different names, and eventually I started analyzing the names, organizing them in alphabetical order."

"Okay, Ms. Detective," Jane choked, "You win. _Yes_, his name begins with an L."

The bright redhead winked while raising her brow, "I am pretty good at my job even when inebriated."

"I hate that, honestly."

Romanoff shook her head with a disbelieving smile, "You would absolutely go nuts with idiot friends."

Jane flattened her mouth, showing surrender, "That is true."

Natasha clicked her mouth, "I wish I could have made it to your party. Darcy always gets to pamper you on your birthday."

"I saw him there."

"L?"

Jane nodded.

Natasha instantly scooted closer to her, "How was it? Was he attractive? Was he hideous? Would I have fucked him back when I was a bit more loose?" She scrunched her face, "Ooh, did he have wrinkles? I don't know if I could commit to wrinkles."

Jane giggled like a little school girl, "Need I remind you that once dated that guy from the gym?"

"I hate that Bruce told you that," she pouted.

The cardiologist clapped a bit, "He was, what...56?"

Natasha scoffed, "Ew, I would never date or screw anyone who is 56!" After a while, she smirked, "He was 54."

Jane bit her lip. "I love that we are like this. I'm not going to even pretend I ever loved Bruce. I didn't. I tried to move on, but dating him was no way to do that."

"I typically hate other women. We're caddy creatures," Romanoff added darkly.

Again, Jane laughed. "I've met some awful women."

Natasha allowed her smile to fall a little, "Have you moved on, though?"

"For seven years, I didn't think of him. For the most part, I was really happy. I met two of my best friends in that time. I wouldn't change anything about my life as it stands now," Jane told her.

"But..."

Shrugging, Jane continued, "When I saw him the other night, all of these feelings came flooding back. Thankfully, though, I know how to control myself and my visage well. I can't have these feelings floating around my life again. It's not healthy."

"I could look him up...background check, credit report, phone records...the works!" Natasha beamed.

Jane simply lowered her head, "Eh, no. I'd have to tell you the name, which I won't."

"You're no fun! Why not?"

Jane tilted her head up as if considering an original answer, "It would ruin the mystery and grandeur of it all. Don't you think?"

The detective chuckled loudly, "No!" As the other woman was about to add something, Romanoff gasped and snapped her fingers, "Eureka! I have a perfect scenario for you and your mystery guy!"

"Indulge me," Jane replied lightly.

"Why not have a one-night stand with him?"

"WHAT?!"

Natasha held her hands out in front of her, calming her friend down significantly, "You still have feelings for the guy. It's not like it'll be completely impersonal. I'm sure he'll enjoy it. Oh, come on! It's perfect! It could be a way to fully move on!"

"You just said I'd go nuts with idiot friends...well, check," Jane retorted. She stood up and moved to the kitchen with both of their glasses.

Natasha followed quickly behind her. "OH, come on! It's not like you haven't thought about it. I'm just the one saying it!"

Jane nearly threw the glasses at the sink. Luckily, they didn't break. As Jane turned, her eyes were wide with anger, "It's the most bizarre advice I've yet received from any of my more colorful friends. This is wacky...even for you!" Jane crossed her arms, "Besides, I'm a doctor!"

"And that means you're asexual?" Natasha rolled her eyes before Jane did the same. "Let me tell you that Dr. Banner is the _most_ wild lover I've ever-"

Jane threw her hands up, "Okay! Okay! That's enough!"

"So you'll think about it?" Natasha's eyes lit up.

Jane scrunched her face in disgust, "What? Think about you and Bruce having sex? I don't think so."

Romanoff snickered, shaking her head. She pulled out a chair at the dining table and watched Jane do the same. "I will take that as a maybe."

"Mhmm...It's not going to happen," Jane sharply fought.

Natasha's phone rang. "Bruce texted me! He's off. We're heading to the 24 hour diner down the street from here. Wanna go with?"

Jane shook her head slowly, "I think I'll stay in. He's worked thirty-six hours straight. You should go alone."

"You're loss, Annie," Natasha playfully spoke while she exchanged a single kiss on Jane's cheek.

When her friend began to head out, Jane followed her to the door and let her out, "Bye, Tash!"

When Natasha turned around after waving, she shrugged, "Think about it, okay?"

And then she rounded the corner.

And Jane continued to drink while watching _I Love Lucy_ reruns for several more hours.


End file.
